When Can I Start?

First-year students should take Film 175 – Introduction to Screen Arts:
An introductory exploration of central features of film and television aesthetics, including formal and stylistic elements: color, lighting, editing, sound, etc. Exposure to a wide spectrum of types of films, including: silent, abstract, non-narrative, documentary, and genre films, and the artistic choices manifested by each. Subjects are treated topically rather than historically, and emphasis is placed on mastering key vocabulary.

What Should I Take as a First-Year Student?

Film relates in some way to nearly every discipline in the liberal arts. You are encouraged to explore the Vassar curriculum widely during your first year.

First-year students are also strongly encouraged to complete their college requirements—the language requirement, the quantitative course and the writing course—to maximize their ability to take film courses in their later years.

What If I Want To Get Involved as a First-Year Student?

You can volunteer to help junior and senior filmmakers by becoming a production assistant or acting in a student film; volunteer for the Film Majors’ Committee; or apply for a work-study job within the Film Department. The Film administrative assistant, (film@vassar.edu, located in the Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film, Rm. 108) can put you in contact with the appropriate people. Our website is also a great resource: http://film.vassar.edu.